


The Wonder Years

by XaiBauGrove



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Fluff, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Graffiti!Korra, High School AU, Korrasami - Freeform, MaKorra, Masami - Freeform, Modern AU, No Bending, Politics, Romance, Slow Burn, Tags will change as story progresses, becomes Activist!Korra, it's a story, korrasami endgame, set in the 90s-2000s era??
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2019-10-04 06:30:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17299520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XaiBauGrove/pseuds/XaiBauGrove
Summary: The Water Tribe's Avatar Korra has wanted to live in Republic City ever since she was a little girl. As the tribe's Avatar, which is a title reserved for spiritual guide of the people, Korra was always told she needed to stay with her tribe in the tundra. When her parents finally allow her to go on her own path, she is taken to Republic City and watched over by Tenzin, the leader of what was once the Air Nomads, who now maintains the Air Temple Island left behind by his ancestors.Korra is a brash misfit and vandal, preferring freerunning and tagging various buildings throughout the city over thinking about her future and tribal obligations. When she befriends Bolin, Mako and Asami in Republic City, Korra finds herself learning more about life and love, along with the rest of the gang. They all grow together with every year discovering more about themselves and each other.





	1. Welcome to Republic City

 

**KORRA**

Nothing really compared to the fresh scent of snow in the morning. Korra knew it well, had known it all her life. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her coat and breathed in deep in an attempt to savor it, let it fill her nose with frost.

She looked out at the endless icy tundra sparkling in the sunlight and heaved a big sigh, hoping that would ease up the pang of sadness she felt. Everything was so perfect and untouched, like a fresh fur. As the snow kicked up on the wind and dusted through her wolf tails she closed her eyes, realizing that she wouldn’t be able to step out of her hut and see it all again whenever she wanted or watch the sun rise over the ivory horizon with her friend anymore.

“I can’t believe you’re leaving.”

Korra turned her head up to regard Amaroq cocking his arm back and tossing a wooden stick through the air in front of them. The stick did several cartwheels before a jet black wolfdog in the distance leapt up and snatched it from the air with a playful snarl.

Amaroq sat down next to Korra at the precipice of the snowy hill that overlooked a small valley where the wolfdog and a larger, white polar dog chased after one another, yipping and growling. Korra watched them briefly, then started scanning Amaroq silently with her eyes as he kept his sights trained on the horizon. His jaw was set tight, the muscles in his temple pulsing under dark skin. She had known him for as long as she could remember, yet now was the first time she really looked at him and saw how much he’d changed and wondered if he thought the same of her.

Korra knew he was upset. He barely spoke to her the past few days and she was pleasantly surprised when she trudged up the hill to their favorite spot and found him already there waiting for her. Although, she figured it would be that way. Considering it was her very last day there. After all they had been through, he wouldn’t have missed saying a last goodbye.

The longer she stared at his short, onyx locks whipping against his hardened face, his thick eyebrows shadowing cobalt eyes, the larger the lump in her throat became. It rendered her silent, so she didn’t answer him and just kicked her legs dangling in the air at the edge of the hillside. Memories of sledding down the slope below them suddenly came flooding back.

“The Avatar is supposed to stay with the tribe,” Amaroq grumbled, his voice slightly muffled. Korra glanced at him and noticed that he pulled a knee up under his chin and placed his elbow there, burying his mouth in the crook.

She chuckled at this, a light smile playing on her lips. For some reason, it was that comment that brought a little bit of the excitement she had been feeling over the course of the last month back. “And since when have I played by the rules?” she asked, playfully tilting her head back and jutting her chin.

Amaroq rolled his eyes and unfolded his long, stocky frame. He leaned on his bare hand splayed in the snow by his hip and turned to her. “They won’t understand you there. Everything’s different, no one cares about anyone. There’s no tribes there, no family. All they care about is money.”

Korra brightened, in contrast to Amaroq’s foul mood and stream of negativity. “You’re right! Everything _is_ different! That’s just what I need!” She gestured toward the tundra. “I’m tired of all this! It’s been the same thing, day in and day out for _seventeen years_ , Amaroq. There’s so much more out there for me.”

There was no amount of convincing in the world that he could do to change her mind. He knew it already, Korra was fully aware of that. He knew better than anyone how once she set her mind to something, she was doing it, full steam ahead, no looking back. And sure, she would miss home, anyone would. There was nothing like the Southern Water Tribe. But Korra was always fascinated by what lied beyond those gates. The stories of a world changing and evolving all around her and the wonders she was missing out on called out to her for years. Seeing pictures in books wasn’t enough, listening to tall tales from the elder tribe members who went out to gather supplies wasn’t enough. She had to see it for herself.

And after enough begging and pleading and acting out to her parents, Katara had been the one to finally convince them that she needed to forge her own path. Funny how the oldest member of the tribe was the one who was able to understand Korra the most and state that change was inevitable. After some mulling, her parents agreed. Korra would be the first Avatar in the history of the tribe to leave and live away from the people.

“And it’s _Republic City_!” Korra gushed, her fists clenched to her chest. “You know how long I’ve been dreaming about going there!”

Amaroq huffed in response. Korra reached out and nudged him with an elbow. “Plus, think of all the buildings! All those fresh walls just waiting to be tagged…” she said, waving a hand through the air in front of them.

That drew out a laugh from the boy and Korra felt her shoulders lax a little. She could take her friend being mad at her, she’d done plenty in the past to make him mad at her before, but today was different. They couldn’t part on bad terms.

“Way better than just rocks,” Korra pouted, narrowing her eyes.

“Yeah, remember when you tagged the gravestone of the old, great guardian and Chief Tonraq had you on grounds-keeping duty for three months?” Amaroq laughed.

“Oh, ha-ha,” Korra frowned. “I didn’t know it was _her_ gravestone! I thought it was just some regular stone! And luckily, I won’t have to deal with that anymore. It’s gonna be nothing but living it up in the big city for me!”

She pressed a thumb into her puffed out chest and Amaroq shook his head at her antics, much like he had always done. One of these days, she was sure his head would just roll clean off. She was betting on it actually, and some part of her regretted that she wouldn’t be around to see it if it did ever happen. But then again, he wouldn’t have much to shake his head about with her gone. Another stretch of silence passed between them while they both watched the two dogs rolling across the valley.

“Kapu’s never gonna forgive you for taking Naga away, you know,” Amaroq said, softly breaking the quiet.

“Ah, he’ll be fine. There’s plenty of other dogs here for him to play with. It’s Naga I’m worried about. I don’t even know what kind of animals they’ve got in the city. If she’ll make any friends at all…” Korra trailed off, thinking of how fast the sun was moving across the sky. In just a couple of hours, Tenzin would be arriving by plane and taking her back with him to the city and the only life she’d ever known would be just memories.

“I’m gonna miss you.”

Korra froze, her eyes widening under raised eyebrows. When she looked back at Amaroq with his face downcast, staring down at his legs, her expression softened. Now that she thought of it, it would be their first time being apart in their entire lives. That ache in her chest returned, this time a little stronger. She didn’t think about what it would be like to actually leave. All the excitement kept her occupied so she wouldn’t dwell on it, but Amaroq’s words brought everything back to the forefront. Missing someone meant that you wouldn’t see them anymore.

She thought of her parents, her tribespeople and the warmth she always felt waking up at home despite the below freezing climate that she had been born and raised in, that she loved. It hurt to think about it, but she’d already made up her mind. Republic City was calling out to her and she had to answer. But knowing what she wanted didn’t make the decision hurt any less.

“I’m gonna miss you, too…” Korra said, folding her legs in front of her and holding her ankles.

Amaroq unexpectedly lumbered to his feet beside her and offered a hand to her. She stared at it for a second before clasping his palm and allowing him to help her up. Once she was standing, Amaroq gripped her hand tight between them. “Promise you won’t forget to write while you’re living it up in the big city?”

Korra smiled, slightly increasing her grip. “I won’t. I promise.”

He nodded and they dropped their hands to their sides. They both turned to look at the horizon together one last time. The view had been so different compared to when they were kids. From where she stood now, it was like everything was all laid out at her feet. Crisp white snow just waiting to be treaded on.

“Make sure you tag some buildings for me.”

Korra chuckled, still looking straight ahead. “Oh, you know it.”

She heard Amaroq breathe in and let out a short breath. “So…this is it, huh? Republic City…”

“Republic City!” Korra shouted, her bold voice echoing out across the tundra and startling Naga and Kapu in the valley below, the two dogs stopping in their tracks with their ears perked up. With that, Korra roughly shoved her palms flat into Amaroq’s chest in her enthusiasm, causing him to stagger slightly backward. They both burst into laughter that floated across the expanse.

* * *

Saying goodbye to her parents was even harder. As Korra hoisted up the last of her luggage and set it down at the front door of their modest hut, she struggled to fight back tears. Suddenly, she registered things about the hut that she hadn’t taken the time out to notice before, as if her senses were sharper than ever. From the traditional tapestries that decorated her room and the calming scent of tanned hides and wood to the warrior’s shield that hung on the wall of the den and filled her with pride, Korra was briefly startled by the thought that she probably wouldn’t find any of this in Republic City. She glanced around the den with a worried look, panicking for a second and trying to take in as much as she could, bury it in her memory. What if she hadn’t appreciated it enough? What did she waste all those days doing, just passing by everything without stopping to actually look and really see how wonderful the South really was? Was it a mistake?

Fortunately, her parents did a proper job of breaking her out of the anxiety. Senna’s frantic doting made it almost impossible for Korra to focus on being afraid of leaving everything behind, not when she brought out a big sack filled with delicious, home-cooked Water Tribe food and kept double and triple checking whether Korra had remembered to pack various items from underwear to hair bands. Korra could only smile as her mother darted around the room trying to make sure she didn’t forget to cram any other things into her already full to bursting luggage.

Most of all, she didn’t want to think about leaving her parents. Korra was sure that if she did take a moment to even let the thought settle, that she’d end up unpacking and forgetting it altogether. Her earlier mini-freakout had her concerned enough about it, and she tried her hardest to keep her mind from it, finding more success than she had anticipated. It did make it easier when they were being embarrassing and slightly annoying.

“You make sure you listen to Tenzin and behave!” Senna wagged a finger at Korra after looking her up and down. She guessed to make sure she wasn’t forgetting to wear clothes, but there was no way for Korra to be sure.

“You’re going to be a guest in his home, Korra. We expect that you respect his rules and his family. This is a big favor he’s doing for us. Don’t make him regret it,” Tonraq stated, eyeing Korra intensely with his last words. She knew what he meant with that look.

“Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll be on my best behavior,” Korra replied, sporting a big, unconvincing smile. Tonraq folded his arms and continued his stern stare. “What? _I will!_ ”

“Just don’t cause too much trouble,” Tonraq relented, lovingly tousling her hair. “We love you, sweetheart.”

Korra grabbed at his thick wrist to keep him from further mussing up her wolftails but threw her arms around his waist instead. She squeezed for a moment, then turned to Senna and settled into her mother with a softer embrace. “I love you too,” she mumbled with her eyes closed. Tears were trapped behind her lids shut tightly. “I’ll miss you so much.”

“We’ll miss you too, sweetie,” Senna said, her own tears streaming freely down her cheeks as she reached up to brush away Korra’s before they fell. Korra closed her eyes and tried to store the feeling of her mother’s hand on her cheek away with the other memories she was already clinging to. She only opened her eyes when a large, soft and familiar body leapt up between her and her parents with a loud bark, causing them all to chuckle warmly as Naga joined in the brief family session.

The sight of all her tribespeople seeing her off was the last thing she knew she had to etch into her memory. When one of the younger boys popped a head into the doorway of the hut to announce the arrival of Tenzin’s plane to Tonraq, Korra felt her heart skip. It was almost unreal, like walking through a dream. Her luggage was lighter and she walked to the plane in a trancelike state. It was the first time she had ever seen a plane in her life and still, the most amazing thing she witnessed that day was the presence of everyone she had ever known gathered there with carved trinkets and blessed gifts, waving and cheering for her.

All her life she had been wanting to get away from this place, to see the world. And now it was hard to imagine actually leaving. But she did, with Naga bounding playfully by her side, just as eager as Korra herself had been all this time. Tenzin stood by the door of the small plane, smiling warmly while clutching a wide brimmed hat to the top of his head, the wind from the propellers whipping his coattails around.

The sun was at its apex in the sky behind him, and Korra stopped in her tracks to take a deep breath. She thought of looking back at the cheering crowd behind her, but decided not to. Swallowing against the lump in her throat, she finished the rest of her walk to the plane, incredibly conscious of the snow crunching underneath her feet. There wouldn’t be any more of that feeling or sound in Republic City. Yet it was something about Tenzin’s smile that made her feel safe and reassured, just as always.

“Ready to go?” he asked, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Korra smiled up at him in kind and nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Korra settled into a window seat across the aisle from Tenzin and let out a small sigh. She noticed Amaroq wasn’t in the crowd, but that was okay. They had already said their goodbyes in their own way, in private, at their favorite place. As it should have been.

But no. Not goodbye, Korra shook her head defiantly. Just…see you again. Those were the words that crossed her mind as she looked out of the window of the small plane and watched the little Water Tribe village fade further and further away until it was just a brown speck in the whole of the arctic tundra. And eventually, it was just snow. Like a blank piece of paper.

It was surprising how easy it was to fall asleep on an airplane. Considering she had never been on one before, Korra didn’t know what to expect. She thought she would be too energized to do anything aside from shaking her leg nervously in her seat the whole time. But the warmth and silence in the cabin only undercut by the humming of the propellers outside just lulled her right to sleep without her even knowing until she felt Tenzin’s fingers tapping her arm to wake her.

Korra sucked in a breath as she stretched and wiped drool from the side of her mouth with her palm. “Whuh…are we there?” she mumbled, disoriented.

“Almost…” Tenzin pointed toward her window and she looked out of it curiously.

It was already late in the evening and the peninsula below was almost surrounded by water that looked so dark that she could barely see the ripples of waves in it. What made her press her hands against the glass and her jaw drop in awe was much brighter and ten times more incredible. The city was alive. It was filled with lights that snaked around the tall buildings like veins, and as the plane continued its descent, cars of all shapes and sizes came into view. They were on highways and streets, everything was moving and bustling and unlike anything Korra had ever seen before. The lights seemed brighter than the stars in the sky even, they drowned them out and lit up Korra’s eyes as she mouthed out a silent ‘wow’. Her heart raced just looking at it all. From way up high, it wasn’t overwhelming and it sure as hell was a drastically different sight from the view she got of her tiny village just hours ago. This place was like a giant jewel in the ocean. And after hoping and wishing and dreaming of it for so many years, Korra was finally going to be in the middle of it all.

A grin broke out on her face and she closed her eyes, then inhaled deep before letting out a loud whooping noise that startled Tenzin, who jumped in his seat. He cleared his throat and Korra turned her head away from the window to flash him a sheepish look of apology. “Whoops!” she grinned, in contrast to his furrowed brow.

Korra pouted when the plane soared away from the city and touched down across the bay on Air Temple Island instead, but once she got out of the plane she walked around the pavilion in a daze. Tenzin said some things, mentioned his kids and how they wouldn’t be awake at this hour to greet her and that it was fine because she’d be able to see them at breakfast. He talked about the school she’d start at in a couple days, getting settled, house rules… Korra didn’t even try to pay attention to any of it. Tenzin’s voice was a muffled sound from far away. She was too busy looking around at everything and noticing how there was nothing that reminded her of home, everything was different, even the air smelled different. As she was shown to her room and her luggage was placed next to the sliding door, all she could think of was that she was there. She made it.

After Tenzin bid her a good night, Korra absentmindedly pet Naga laying down at her bedside as she stared at the ceiling above her in the darkness. She glanced at the window to her right above her and sat up to look through it. The city sat across the water, shimmering and larger than it had been from inside the plane. The longer she looked, she thought she could almost hear the faint murmur of all the people in the distance and she stared for as long as she could, then fell asleep while leaning against the window ledge as the city remained as awake as ever, the lights never going out. 

* * *

 

Being on Air Temple Island was nice and all, and it was great to spend time with Meelo, Ikki and Jinora again, just for the fact that they were kids who weren’t from her tribe even if they were a lot younger and a little bit annoying sometimes. Although Korra had to admit, being able to explore the city she’d been looking at from her bedroom window every night since she arrived was way better, especially with all the freedom she had to do it now.

Tenzin tried to be overbearing and take her to her first day of school himself, like she was a little girl or something, but Pema saved the day and insisted that Korra should be allowed to go on her own. She even argued that Korra was mature enough to be trusted to go straight to school, which…did make it a little awkward when Korra shifted her backpack and felt the various spray cans she snuck in with her schoolbooks move around, causing her to grimace a little in her guilt.

It wasn’t like she was hurting anybody, and she didn’t know for sure that she would definitely use them…until she came across a perfect, pure white concrete canvas that just begged to be tagged. Korra dropped her backpack to the ground next to her and smiled at the wall in front of her. It would only take a minute or two, and she wouldn’t do anything fancy. Plus, she had time to kill, she reasoned, even with how long it took her to get the hang of streetlights and crosswalks. A lot of cars had honked at her for some reason. But all the noise and clamor around her that had taken over all her senses when she first started her walk to school died away when she held the can of paint in her hand, forefinger poised on the nozzle. She scoped out both ends of the alley from left to right, then looked up to try and see the top of the unsuspecting host of her soon to be masterpiece, if there even was a top to this building. It took some hard squinting to see it, but way up there she could make out a giant gear symbol that didn’t really tell her anything. Korra simply shrugged her shoulders. Whoever it was that owned the building, they should be grateful to be showcasing her talent.

She brought a hand up to her chin and rubbed at it for a second and hummed to herself, then her eyebrows jumped up when it came to her. Korra chuckled as she shook the can in her right hand and pulled a white cloth from her back pocket to cover her mouth with while she sprayed, her arm moving in sharp, dramatic strokes. The rhythm of the art was taking her to another place, she was so focused on the boldness of her lines and the flow of the graffiti that she felt a sense of calm settle inside her. Walking through the city alone, surrounded by all these new things and so many people was a shock to the system, but this was something she knew. And she was making a mark on Republic City. Instead of walking the sidewalks feeling like an outsider, Korra was making the city more of her own. And she would continue to do it until the whole place was covered in her tags, like a mural that could be pieced together as she walked the streets feeling comfort in seeing herself in those tags.

Korra slashed a quick line underneath the text then stepped back to look over it and see if it needed any more touches before she bolted. **_THE AVATAR IS HERE! FLAMEO HOTMAN!_** It was super imposed, dynamic and fucking awesome.

“Yeah…” Korra grinned, picking up her backpack and looking proudly at her work. She glanced down to stuff one of the spray cans inside and zip it up when she heard a sharp shout to her right, coming from the end of the alley.

“HEY!”

Her heart jumped into her throat and her head shot up to see an older woman, a police officer with short gray hair—why was she still working, shouldn’t she be retired by now??—who was pointing at her with an angry look on her face. Shit. She glanced briefly to her left and bolted in less than a second, kicking up littered papers in her wake.

“Get back here, you little shit!” Korra heard the woman yell out as she effortlessly vaulted over a dumpster in her path, bracing her weight on one hand slapped briefly against the lid as she flipped to the other side.

“Hey, can you even talk to kids like that?!” she barked back, cockily turning around to jog backwards in an attempt to taunt the old woman, knowing for sure that she wouldn’t be able to keep up with those brittle bones. It was a little bit of a shock when she saw the cop almost run up over the same dumpster, pivot off the brick wall and return to a running pace without breaking a sweat, hot on Korra’s heels.

“What, you gonna go crying to Mommy about it?” The woman jeered from too close behind.

Regardless, Korra couldn’t let the insult fly and stopped after faltering a little through the outdoor seating of a restaurant on the sidewalk, startling the patrons as she bounded off of empty chairs. She almost forgot she was being chased when she was more heated about the dig at her and snapped back. “No!”

The sight of the old cop tearing through the chairs and tables in a whirlwind pursuit right in her direction brought Korra’s false sense of security crashing down. The lady really didn’t know how to give up. Korra took off again, sprinting across the street without looking both ways again—she was still trying to get into the whole vehicles and traffic thing—and weaved around speeding cars with startled drivers occasionally leaning out their windows shouting not so nice things at her as they avoided her dodging and sliding across slick roofs to get to the sidewalk again. She didn’t even have time to enjoy the sick moves she just executed because the cop lady was _still_ chasing her, so she glanced around frantically before recognizing the street sign she was looking for, the same street her new school was on, just a couple blocks down.

She raced toward it, hopping over benches and dancing around random passerby as her heart pounded in her ears. Tenzin wouldn’t be happy if she got in trouble as soon as she walked into the city. He’d never let her out of his sight again, and most importantly her dad would never forgive her for making him look like he’d raised a hooligan. Not that any of this made her one, if anything all Korra could think of as she made her way across the crisp, green grass of the Liberty City High campus was that she was the most badass person in town right now. A true rebel, running under the arches of the huge building and through the outdoor hallways looking for an open room to hole up in while the heat died down. She made a right and panicked when she was faced with a dead end.

“Aw, fuck!” she cursed, starting when she heard the footsteps of the cop getting closer and not slowing down at all. Korra thought about going back and maybe figuring something out when she felt a large hand grab her arm and yank her into a dark room. “Hey, what the--?!”

“Shh!” A boy not much taller stood in front of her with a finger to his lips, his green eyes standing out in the near darkness. His shadow was wide and he looked stocky, but Korra eyed him suspiciously and figured she could still take him if he tried anything crazy. When he picked his head up to look out of the small window near the top of the door the light pouring in from outside lit up his face a bit and Korra regarded him warily in the silence.

Light skin was revealed in the sunlight, and a strong jaw sat under his lips comically pursed as he looked out the window intently, his thick eyebrows set tight above a wide, pronounced nose. Korra was just glancing over the small, loose curl of black hair resting on his forehead when they both heard the cop run past the room. The boy quickly ducked away from the window.

“I’ll find you sooner or later, you little punk!”

Korra froze and she and the boy locked eyes, staring at one another without making a sound while the cop’s footsteps suddenly changed direction and she went charging off elsewhere. The boy cautiously peered out the window again. “Okay, I think she’s gone.”

Korra let out a huge breath. “Thanks,” she chuckled while absentmindedly rubbing the back of her neck.

“I was wondering what all that noise was outside and saw you out there. Uh, sorry I grabbed you.” The boy held up his hands. When Korra just shook her head that it was cool, he relaxed a bit and smiled. “So, what’d you do to get Chief Beifong chasing after you?”

Korra shrugged. “Just tagging some building not too far from here.”

“Tagging? Like graffiti? Wow! That’s awesome! You gotta show me sometime! Hey, I’m Bolin by the way,” he smiled, giving her a weird look.

“Yeah…it’s Korra,” she replied and tucked her hands into the pockets of her shorts. She wasn’t worried about him being a creep anymore, just judging by his demeanor. But he was still the first teenager she had interacted with aside from Amaroq, and she found herself feeling a little awkward once the high of her escape died down. She suddenly felt a need to be out of that dark room.

“Korra…that’s a nice name,” Bolin said, giving her that same weird look again. It didn’t last as long as the last time, before he was asking the next question. “Do you even go to this school?”

“Yeah, today’s my first day…” Panic set in as soon as she said it. Korra had forgotten all about actually showing up to class. “Shit, did it start already? That crazy lady had me running all over town that I lost track of time—”

“No, it’s starting soon though. I was just in here trying to get some…” Bolin trailed off and looked down at the notebook in his hand. He snapped out of his brief stint of silence in an instant. “Hey! We probably have the same homeroom, come on! I think we can get there on time!”

Korra didn’t even have time to react before Bolin was taking her wrist and charging through the door with his left shoulder. After just the small amount of time they had spent in that room, the glaring sunlight caused Korra to squint her eyes as they burst outside and ran across the school grounds.

* * *

The first impression Korra got as she let herself be led by this boy she just met was that the school itself was huge. Not only were there doors all along the outside of the building that surrounded a large patch of fresh green grass in the center of it all, but when they went through the front entrance of the main building, there were rooms on the inside too. And all over, Korra kept spotting these plaques with the same name all over them. _The Sato Library, The Sato Hall, The Future Industries Lab_ …all donated by some Sato guy and Future Industries, whatever that was. The names were everywhere. But what Korra noticed most of all was that all the things she saw, the design and structure of the building, the sheer size of it, even Bolin’s clothes—they were all a far cry from what she had been used to. It was like a breath of fresh air and it gave her energy much in the same way that the frosty air of the tundra gave her back home.

“Well, here’s homeroom!” Korra felt her heart beating and adrenaline pumping, a big smile breaking out on her face as Bolin opened the door and led them into the stark white classroom filled with other kids at desks and a teacher who stopped talking mid-sentence to look at them pointedly.

“Bolin! And…Korra, I’m assuming?” The teacher folded her arms and tilted her head forward in their direction. “How nice of you to escort our new student on her first day. Though you could have been a little more conscious of the time...”

“Sorry! She got a little lost.” Bolin flashed a pinched smile.

“So I see. Please take a seat, Bolin. And Korra, feel free to sit wherever!”

Bolin looked back at her as he made his way to a desk near the front that was next to another empty one and he tapped the table of the unoccupied one excitedly with his right hand. Korra grinned and briefly passed a look over the many faces watching her from their desks before shedding her backpack and plopping down into her own. She had a moment of clarity when she sat down and gripped the small table in front of her in wonder. She was actually in a classroom. In high school. It was almost hard to believe without squeezing the corners of the desk in her own hands.  

“Everyone, I’d like you to welcome Korra here, who is from the Water Tribe.” Korra picked her head up at the teacher’s announcement. “Now, I’m sure you remember from your history classes that the Water Tribe has a very rich culture of great significance that I am personally very appreciative of. Korra, it’s lovely to have you here at this school.”

It was nice hearing about how her presence was appreciated, especially from an elder. And the feeling that she was representative of the entire tribe while attending the school, which seemed pretty important at first glance, filled her with pride. As the teacher continued addressing the class, Korra overheard some seething whispers coming from her left.

“How are you late, Bolin?? I told you what time to leave!” A sharp, terse voice called her attention and she turned her head to look, only to feel her heart skip a beat, a wave of warmth suddenly washing over her once she locked her eyes onto the boy who was speaking.

He didn’t look back at her, in fact, his attention was solely trained on Bolin next to her, but that was just fine with Korra. It gave her plenty of time to stare. The first thing she noticed were his eyes. There was an intensity there…like fire in the amber, and she thought to herself that she’d never seen anyone with eyes like that. Looking over his angular, jet black eyebrows and seemingly untamed, spiky hair—everything about him was intense and weirdly interesting. She couldn’t stop staring. Korra was losing herself in the movement of his lips, the sleek angle of his jaw…his body was different from Bolin’s, while his was stocky, this boy’s frame was lean and she could almost make out the muscles of his chest beneath his long-sleeved white shirt until Bolin’s face popped into her view.  

“This is my bro, Mako,” he said, gesturing with his thumb over his left shoulder at the boy frowning at him. “As you can see, I was blessed with the good looks…” Bolin smoothed a hand over his hair and flexed as he did so but Korra’s eyes stayed on Mako.

“H-hi…” Korra stammered, weakly lifting up a hand to wave at him. Mako finally glanced at her for all but two seconds, still retaining that edge in his frown—before looking back at Bolin and addressing him again without saying a word to her.

“This is the last time this happens.”

“I know, I know.” Bolin brushed Mako off with a shrug, then opened up the notebook he had been carrying. The first several pages had been written in and he turned until he found a fresh page, then proceeded to hurriedly jot down the notes from the board in what looked like completely different handwriting than what had been on the previous pages.

That was it. That was the extent of Korra’s interaction with this guy, just a look that barely lasted a moment and yet…she was extremely aware of his presence just a desk away from hers all throughout class. Any time she searched through her backpack, moving empty spraycans out of the way and hoping they wouldn’t clink while she did so, writing down her notes, erasing mistakes, anything she did, Mako was right there. And she couldn’t get his name out of her head. Mako. Mako. _Mako_. Every now and then she stole quick peeks at him because she wasn’t able to help herself and there he was, just as quiet as ever, head buried in a worn-out textbook, unaware that she even existed.

* * *

Bolin made for good company and knew how to make a large school not feel as big and intimidating. Classes were a breeze, it was like the curriculum here was set back two grades compared to how much she learned from her mom and dad back home. The thing she noticed the most about school was how many other kids there were all over the place, and how loud it could be when they were all crammed into one building. Korra felt a little disoriented every now and then, but being around Bolin the whole day was pretty awesome. The last time she felt so comfortable around someone was hanging out with Amaroq. Korra never thought she’d find a friend on just her first day in school, but somehow she did. Or at least, she was pretty sure of it, she thought as she laughed at a spot on impersonation Bolin did of one of their more annoying teachers right in class with the teacher himself just a few feet away.

It was almost hard to believe Bolin and Mako were brothers, they were like night and day. Seeing glimpses of Mako throughout the day always sent a flash of fire coursing through her body but then Bolin would grab her attention back with a quick joke and she suddenly felt solid and calm. Less all over the place. More grounded. Bolin was definitely one of a kind.

“Hey,” Bolin snapped Korra out of her thoughts as they stood outside in front of the school building. The day was over and kids were rushing past them at breakneck speed to get out of there and into whatever kids did here in Republic City, which Korra still had yet to find out. “Do you wanna hang out for a bit? Before you go home? There’s this cool place I wanna show you and I’m totally wanting to see that sick graffiti you do. I know a place.”

Bolin gestured with his arms and mimicked what he thought tagging looked like, which made Korra giggle. She was instantly filled with excitement though, knowing that she’d found a friend and would be hanging out in the city all in the same day. Her mind raced with all the possibilities of the hip and happening places Bolin might have in mind when she agreed and he led her off the school grounds, around alleyways and across junkyards filled with scrap metal. She thought about all the fancy places that must be everywhere in Republic City, all the high end buildings she could tag with her work and make her own. How she’d leave her mark all over the town…

When Bolin stopped in front of an old, rusted train in the middle of a yard filled with them and lined with tracks all over, Korra’s ideas of all the fancy stuff vanished, but a telltale smirk graced her face.

“Well! Here we are! What do you think? I don’t know if the surface is like, you know, smooth enough for you to work on, or—“ Bolin fumbled as he weirdly caressed the side of the train and some paint chips fell off.

“Oh, I can work with this.” Korra grinned and dropped her bag to the floor, surprising Bolin. He looked at her and smiled before backing away with a sweep of his arms and a bow. Korra reached into her backpack, tied a blue and white bandana over her nose and mouth and shook two spraycans in both hands as she strolled up to the train, eyes set on her canvas.

Part of her could feel Bolin watching her every move from his seat on a cinderblock behind her, and having an audience seemed to only make her more focused on producing something awesome. Not that she felt she’d have much of a problem with that. She hadn’t brought too many colors with her, just her usual blue, white and brown shades. Water tribe colors. She had to rep the tribe. But they were just enough for what she wanted to do. With every twitch of her finger, color would shoot from the tips of the cans left and right, her arms moved independently of the other as she curved a wave of color upward and added some details below. Normally she’d use a stencil for such a big project but she had her audience, and this was a little more challenging anyway.

When she finally stopped and stepped back to look at her work one last time, she nodded to herself and dropped the nearly empty cans to the ground, then pulled her bandana down. She heard Bolin finally speak up. “Woah…”

It was a giant whale bursting through a solid ground and splashing waves all around as it floated, suspended mid turn in the air. Bolin walked up next to her slowly, eyes still glued to it all. He turned to her and shouted, “That’s amazing! This is incredible! You’re incredible! Holy cow, I mean, holy whale! Look at this!”

As Bolin waved his arms around and continued on, Korra just watched him gawking and chuckled, folding her arms and feeling pretty pleased with herself. Then the sound of metal dragging across metal stopped both of them, with Korra whipping around and startled. Bolin’s reaction was a lot calmer, and he actually perked up, then gestured toward her. “This is the best part about being here! Come on!”

He started running and Korra snatched up her backpack as she rushed after him. They weaved through stationary train cars that sat like they were scattered all over until they closed in on one that was moving slowly at first, then it started to pick up speed as it was leaving the train yard. Korra got to it before Bolin and stood in front of it confused. She’d never really seen a train up close before, but she was mesmerized by how the wheels moved on the tracks, how fast and large it was and kind of hellbent on getting to wherever it needed to go. Nothing could hold it back, she was sure, nothing that big. She watched it start to race by her and her eyes tried to track each car separately. Were they supposed to jump on?

“Here! Catch!”

Korra turned and caught a small rock just as Bolin tossed it to her, then looked down at it. Bolin jogged up next to her and twirled his right fist before snapping his arm out in front of him. A rock shot forward and hit the side of the train making a dinging noise.

“Whoo! Spot on!” Bolin cheered, then held a hand filled with rocks out to Korra. “Here’s some more.”

Korra hesitantly took a handful of the rocks and pebbles from Bolin’s open palm, slowly starting to understand it. She turned one of the pebbles around between her index finger and thumb, and Bolin spoke up again. “Don’t think too hard about it. Just take a rock…and chuck it!”

She watched Bolin toss another rock at the side of the moving train and it bounced off with another noise. So it was that simple. No flair, no fancy ways behind it. Just…throwing rocks at a train. Korra smiled and wound up with a rock in her fist, then let it fly. It hit the side of the train and shot back in their direction from the force and angle of her throw, and she hopped out of the way with a little yelp, then laughed as Bolin started to laugh too.

They tossed rocks at the train until it passed completely through the yard and they parted ways. And by the time Korra had the opportunity to process her whole day, after making it back to Air Temple Island and eating dinner with Tenzin and his family—it was already night as she laid in bed staring at the ceiling with her arms folded behind her head. But the day was just as vivid as she replayed everything over again, thinking the whole time that she couldn’t wait to get back to school tomorrow, just to get back out there again…and she fell asleep with a smile on her face.


	2. Sunflower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the life of our literal sunflower boy Bolin, as he tries to work up the courage to ask a certain someone out on a date.

**BOLIN**

After staring at the ceiling last night and replaying all the events of the day, Bolin wasn’t really sure what time he’d fallen asleep or what were daydreams and what were dream-dreams. Either way, he woke up with the sun and a giant grin on his face. He sat up and ruffled his hair in his hands. His back didn’t even hurt too bad this morning, he thought as he rubbed at it through the worn fabric of his white tank top. Bolin leaned a hand against the rough, worn out springs directly beneath the thin surface of his slightly stained mattress for leverage, then spun off his bed on the floor and to his feet. He was feeling the magic of the day, alright. It was almost impossible to keep his feet from shuffling as he did a little jig over to the pile of clothes at the foot of his mattress in his corner.

“You’re up early,” Mako muttered from the other side of the room. Bolin could hear the faint clicking sound of his brother getting the skillet on the floor ready for breakfast. He sniffed through a couple shirts in the pile. Mako was right. Usually Bolin would only wake up to the smell of eggs frying, and on days when breakfast had to be skipped on, those were the days he’d have to be pried from his bed.

“Yeah…” Bolin smiled when he found a good green t-shirt. No stains either! He turned to Mako and flashed his pearly whites. “I guess I am, huh?”

Mako simply raised an eyebrow at him in response from his position seated in front of the skillet, hand poised over the surface and waiting for it to heat up. Bolin hoped breakfast would be ready fast, because he was already hopping into a pair of cargo pants, the ones that were a little on the large side, but no biggie. He cuffed the legs at the bottom, threw his sneakers on and raced to the bathroom before Mako could get in there and take an hour getting his ‘perfect do’ ready.

The light overhead flickered again, so he hummed as he jimmied the switch a bit to get it to stay on. He smiled at himself in the mirror, then set to checking his chin for hairs and even snuck into the cabinet behind the mirror to steal a scoop of his older brother’s hair gel. It’s not like it was getting much use from Mako anyway. For all his fuss over his mop, all he’d do is just walk and dance around the only girl whose attention he tried to get by doing his hair all fancy in the first place. But Bolin was a man of the ladies. He spit after brushing his teeth and pointed a pair of fingerguns at the mirror with a grin. It was a little difficult getting a good view past the cracks webbing out from a crater of broken glass in the corner of the mirror, but either way, he liked what he saw looking back at him. A pure paragon.

“How do I look?” Bolin burst out of the bathroom and struck a pose.

Mako stared up at him oddly, then his eyes narrowed. “Did you use my hair gel?”

Bolin smiled meekly, then cleared his throat and focused on the two eggs frying in the skillet in front of his bro, rubbing his hands together as he sat down across from Mako. “So! Breakfast ready yet??”

“What’s the big rush all of a sudden? What’s with you today?”

Bolin took one of the forks up that Mako had set down next to the skillet and plucked an egg off the surface, blew on it for a second, then shoved the whole thing into his mouth. He could see why his big bro might be a little confused. There wasn’t a time in recent memory that Bolin could recall when he was this excited to get to school. A heavy feeling used to settle in his chest every time he thought about it—the writing on the whiteboard, in the textbooks, how everything was like a foreign language to him…all he could do is try to pass through each day and make it to that last bell. Then freedom and fresh air again. That was the routine, watch the clock and skim over schoolwork, drown out the teachers until the bell rang. Until yesterday.

An unfamiliar energy shot through him, he just couldn’t wait to see those buildings, and Korra. Bolin took a piece of toast that Mako had placed on the skillet, wolfed it down and stood up, rushing to the front door. There was something special about her. He just knew it, he could feel it. From his head to the tips of his toes and fingers, there was something about Korra that just—

A series of loud knocks made Bolin’s hand freeze just before touching the doorknob and snapped him back. He jumped when a gravelly voice boomed from the other side of the door, “Hey! Wake up, you goddamn freeloaders, I want my rent!”

Bolin stared at the door for a moment, his heartbeat quickening. He could feel his hands start to shake as he slowly brought his right hand down to his side. When he looked over his shoulder at Mako still seated on the floor, his older brother silently locked eyes with him and shook his head.

“Open the door!” The knocking quickly became banging and Bolin’s brow wrinkled in worry as he looked out the window nearby. There was some moss growing on the bricks of the building across from them. The banged up gutter there must’ve sprung a leak, making the water trickle down, causing the moss to grow in a peculiar pattern that drew Bolin in. “You gotta come out sometime! I’m tired of you assholes ducking and dodging me! You owe me rent, I want my money, Mako! Not tomorrow, not next week, NOW!!!”

There was one last slam against the door that actually shook the frame, and then quiet. Bolin looked away from the moss and let out the breath he’d been holding in the whole time. He scratched the back of his head and the jumble of nerves under his skin began to settle. After swallowing against his dry throat, he looked back at his brother again.

“I’ll take care of it. You go ahead. He’s gone for now, just make sure he doesn’t see you on the way out.”

Bolin immediately felt a smile burgeoning as he crouched down with his arms extended at his sides. “No worries, Agent Sparky. I’ve been training for this mission my whole life! He won’t know I even existed! I’ll be like a shadow...”

He straightened up suddenly and rubbed at his chin with a quizzical expression on his face. “But—not like a shadow, because if there’s a shadow then you know there’s a person there… I will be like a ghost, who has never lived—”

“Yeah, I get it. Now hurry up, you’re gonna be late!” Mako interjected. Bolin glanced at the clock on the wall and had a jolt of energy run through him at the thought of missing one second of school, or missing Korra.

“Right,” he said, swinging the door open and poking his head out.

“And hey,” Mako called to him as he stepped out the door. “Focus, Bolin. See you later, little bro.”

* * *

Bolin’s fingernails absently attacked the skin at the tip of his thumb in subtle, scraping motions as his hands rested before him on his desk and his right leg bounced up and down off the balls of his foot. The noise of the class behind him was more like a hum while he watched the door like a hawk. She still wasn’t there yet. Did she get lost? Should he go try to find her? What if she transferred? What if it was because of him?? His nails finally pulled a piece of dead skin from his thumb and he unknowingly rolled it between his fingers, then tossed it to the floor. He leaned back in his seat. Just 5 minutes left…

The door burst open just then and there she was and of course he couldn’t hold back a huge smile. Korra stumbled to the desk next to his with an arm full of books that threatened to topple over and her hair kind of poking out in some places but still, even all out of breath and a little sweaty, she was…

“I’m not late, am I?” Korra asked, panting as she plopped down in her seat.

“No! No, you’re, uh—right on time,” Bolin grinned.

“Cool, because I…kinda overslept. I think,” Korra babbled as she stuffed her books into her backpack resting at her feet. “And then I got a little lost, you know, there should be more signs! And not just those small little ones on those poles. Big ones, huge ones! Normal sized ones, if nothing else, I mean, how am I supposed to know to look for those tiny, little signs when I’m in a rush?”

She pulled out one of the books she crammed into her backpack, her notebook, and slammed it on the desk. Bolin cocked his head to the side. “They don’t have street signs in the, uh…Water Tribe…?”

He raised his shoulders up and cringed, hoping he didn’t get the wrong impression on where she was from by judging based on the clothes she was wearing and how she looked. Bolin could’ve sworn he’d learned about the Water Tribe in history class and he’d even met some kids whose parents were from there.

Korra stopped and her blue eyes settled blankly on him for a second, and he felt his breath catch in his throat—then she chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right. And no, there’s no reason to have street signs. No streets there! Plus, with all the snow on the ground, there’s no reason for it. But yeah, I’m Water Tribe, through and through.”

“Wow. That’s pretty cool. So, you’re like a foreign exchange student or something?” Bolin started, but Korra leaned toward him across the gap between their desks while smugly crossing her arms and his mind went blank. His eyebrows shot up and he kept thinking it—just look at her eyes, don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t—but it was wishful thinking. His green eyes shot down to her chest for a second before she spoke.

“More like, I’m the Avat—“

“Exchange student, huh?” A sharp voice from the back of the classroom caught both Bolin and Korra’s attention. And Bolin knew that voice without even having to turn and look at her. But he did, with a grimace, and witnessed Kuvira in all her glory, slouched down in her seat with one of her boots pressed against the top of the chair in front of her. The glare of the sun coming through the large window to their left reflected off the metal jewelry around her neck and wrists. Her trademark long, black braid was slung across the front of her shoulder, right under the snakey smirk on her face. “You should _exchange_ that outfit back wherever you bought it from and get something decent.”

The whole class burst out in laughter that made Bolin flinch. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard all the kids in the back surrounding Kuvira laugh at someone. Most of the time it was him. He glanced over at Korra and expected to see her on the verge of tears, but what surprised him was how she was poised at the edge of her seat, fists clenched and eyes narrowed. The muscles in her forearm rippled under her dark skin.

“How’d you like for my fist to make an exchange with your face?!” Korra spat, thrusting her arm out in front of her and holding her fist there, like it was on display. Bolin’s jaw dropped as his eyes darted back and forth from Korra to Kuvira. It didn’t seem like she liked that all too much. Kuvira’s dark gaze settled into a scorching glare and she placed her foot back down onto the floor.

“That’s enough!” The homeroom teacher bellowed from the head of the class. “Korra! I expect better from a representative of the Water Tribe. And the Avatar at that.”

 _Avatar…?_ Bolin watched a frustrated Korra throw her arms up with a frown at the teacher, then settle back into her seat with her arms folded again. “Woah. Nobody’s ever stood up to Kuvira like that… You’re awesome.”

“Yeah, well. Somebody’s gotta put people like her in their place. Who does she think she is?”

“Wait a minute. Who are _you_?” Bolin pointed at Korra.

She glanced around, then proceeded with a hint of sarcasm. “I’m… Korra…”

“I know that!” Bolin waved his hands around in front of him. “I mean, the teacher, he just—he just called you a—he just called you the—“

“Avatar. Yeah. Because I am. The Avatar.”

Bolin’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. “No way…”

His mom had read to him about how there were different leaders of the Four Nations a long time ago, and how much those leaders did for their people, their cultures…but out of all the nations, only the Water Tribe still kept to those traditions with their tribal guide, the Avatar. Sometimes, he wished he knew more about the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation because that blood ran so deep, and it was like a part of him was missing, not knowing about where his parents had really come from. But life in Republic City was so far from what his ancestors had known. And it seemed like the world was just not too focused on moving backwards or…thinking about the past, even if he held out some little bit of hope of going back. But eventually he grew out of those bedtime stories, of thinking that anyone really cared about culture, or family. And then, the Avatar of the Water Tribe just happened to be in the same class as him, right next to him. And she happened to be the prettiest, toughest, buffest girl he’d ever seen.

Korra sported a lop-sided grin. “Yup. I’m the bridge between worlds, the peacekeeper, the spiritual leader of my tribe, all that good stuff.” She leaned back in her chair with her hands behind her head.

“That’s amazing!” Bolin shouted. A sudden shushing from the teacher caused him to huddle closer down to his desk and speak in a whisper. “So, what made you wanna come here?”

Korra flipped open her notebook and picked up the pen at her elbow, then tapped the bottom of it against the paper for a moment. “I lived in the Water Tribe my whole life. I just figured…I don’t know. When you’re bound to this bigger destiny and all, sometimes it gets to be more about the destiny and not so much about…you. And I didn’t wanna just hand my life over to that. I wanna be in control of that. And I want to be the best Avatar I can be. I don’t think that I could be, stuck there.”

Bolin cleared his throat. The first day he met her, he was sure there was something special about her and yet, he still felt like he had no idea what she was capable of and who she truly was. But he was overtaken by this strong need, that he wanted to know. She seemed like she was so far away from who he was and where he sat, not just in that classroom but in everything. Still, though, as he watched her taking down notes from the board, her eyes moving over the words she wrote, her thick, brown wolftails gently swaying with every movement, man…even the way she scratched at the side of her head and bit her bottom lip…everything about her was just her being a girl in his class. This incredible girl who came out of nowhere and sort of changed it all.

What could he say to her? He thought, while his nails raked through the hair at the back of his head. What could he say that could possibly amount to anything she’s said? He could take a shot at it. It’s all he’s got. So, he sputtered out with a tender smile, “Y-you’re amazing!”

Bolin hardly even noticed the daggers the teacher shot from his eyes at him for blurting out the compliment. Korra looking up at him and returning the smile was just enough for him to get lost in. “Thanks.”

“Oh, no problem, I mean, you are,” he chuckled nervously. He tried focusing on the writing on the board for a bit since it looked like Korra was really getting into her notes and he didn’t want to distract her, with her being new and all. But it wasn’t all that easy.

“So, uh…where’s Mako?” Bolin heard her ask and for the first time he glanced over at the empty desk to his left, noticing his brother had never showed up for homeroom. It wasn’t the first time it’s happened. And he was pretty sure he knew just what the reason was for Mako not showing up. Normally his nerves would run haywire with worry but today was different. Bolin pried his eyes away from the unoccupied desk and shrugged.

“Probably just running late,” he remarked, knowing it was a lie.

* * *

 

A part of him was slightly distracted throughout the day as he went in and out of classes, some with Korra, some alone. The classes alone were the hardest. The white noise came back again, that dull ringing at the back of his mind accompanying his racing thoughts. It was aggravating because he could never control them, no matter how hard he tried to read the same question over and over and over again, the words just poured right out of his skull without staying long. Then, that would make the stress set in and his nails wound up back at their usual spot, picking at his thumb until a stinging soreness there caused him to stop.

His only reprieve was her. Korra laughed at all his jokes, which was crazy because no one ever laughed at _all_ his jokes before. But she thought he was funny. Not annoying, but actually funny. Bolin loved the sound of her belly laughing, her hand smacking against her knee when it looked like she couldn’t take anymore. He was sure that it was the only real reason to even bother showing up for school at all, or even trying to get out of bed in the morning. Coming back to school every day to see what new things they would talk about or if he could make her laugh until tears dewed at the corners of her eyes, that was what made it worth it.

“How long have you guys lived in Republic City?” Korra was winding down from a recent bout of laughter and wiping the edges of her eyes when she posed the question. They sat together at one of the lunch tables on the patio outside, a bit tucked away from the rest of the kids piled up in tight knit crowds at other tables.

“Oh, we’ve been here forever. Mako and I were born at the hospital right over there somewhere,” Bolin vaguely gestured at the city skyline with his index finger.

“That’s so cool! So, what’s it really like here?” Korra leaned toward him, adopting a sly expression.

Bolin turned around in his seat and looked closer at the buildings in the distance. “It’s pretty great. I mean, I’d like to see what other places are like, like the Water Tribe and stuff. But Republic City is something. You never really know what’s gonna happen.”

“Wow. I’ve always wanted to live here, somewhere like this. With all the people and cars and buildings and lights!” Korra spun around in her seat and waved her hands a bit. Bolin smiled. “I love where I’m from but it’s nice to be in a place where the most interesting thing to happen isn’t new pelts for winter.”

Bolin laughed while Korra slumped over, frowning. “Well, stick with me. I know these streets like the back of my hand. I can show you some places.”

He could feel warmth rising from underneath his collar to his cheeks as he looked at her. It made him almost dizzy, a little lightheaded. Something in him thought, this could be the moment. He could ask her now, since he did bring it up. His heart started beating harder and his breath got shorter as he glanced away, then leaned forward ready to spill it, but she spoke first.

“More train yards to leave tags in?” Korra quipped with a tilted grin. Bolin chuckled nervously, not knowing what to say. He let out a sigh, resigning to the fact that he’d missed a shot there, and just watched Korra as she reached behind her and grabbed the other half of her sandwich, then kept her gaze focused on it. “Is uh, Mako as familiar with the secret streets of the city? That why he’s skipping school today?”

Bolin fumbled his words for a second. He’d rather she didn’t bring that up again. He finally managed to casually give a brief wave as Korra watched him expectantly. “Nah, Mako’s just being Mako. He’s probably at home cramming his brain for some exam. For him, even school distracts him from school.”

Korra giggled, which lightened Bolin up a bit. She glanced down at her sandwich again before taking a bite. “That or he’s seeing his girlfriend or something, huh?” she said, through a full mouth.

Bolin blew a raspberry in the air at that. “Hah. He wishes! The only girl on his mind barely knows he exists. Of all the girls in the school, he decides to have a crush on Asami Sato. _The_ Asami Sato. Fat chance for that. But he’s been obsessing over her for years. I mean, I’ve tried to give him advice, but the poor guy has been hopelessly taken by the cruel wings of love...”

“Who’s Asami Sato?” Korra mumbled, spewing crumbs.

“Only the richest, most popular girl in the city!” Bolin exclaimed. He swept an arm out toward the skyline. “Her dad owns pretty much everything! This school used to be half the size it is now. Mr. Sato paid for a whole redo, all over. New classes, new sections added on to the building, new buildings! New grass, new floors, new supplies, new—new tables even!”

Bolin jumped up and lifted a corner of the table, shaking it a bit in his hands. He dropped it and Korra was jostled, but seemed more focused on her sandwich. She kept staring at it as Bolin settled into the space next to her again. “Man, if I had the money she has…I’d never have to worry about anything ever in my life.”

“And Mako’s in love with this girl…?”

Bolin opened his mouth to reply but the school bell ringing cut him short of answering. He watched as Korra just tossed out the rest of her sandwich and grabbed her backpack without a word. He couldn’t help thinking how far that bit of food that now lined the trashcan could have stretched in the fridge. The thought lingered a bit in the back of his mind as his stomach growled a bit. When lunch started, Bolin tried to come up with the excuse of the day, but didn’t try too hard since he wasn’t even sure he’d need to say anything, unless Korra asked. Of course, she did. And the excuse for the day was an oldie but a goodie: he ate a big breakfast.

He grabbed at his stomach to temporarily shush it while he rushed to catch up to Korra and waved as they went in separate directions. They’d catch up at the end of the day, and Bolin felt his heart pumping overtime when he just stood in the middle of the hallway, watching her walk to her next class. He had to make a move. No way could he go one more day without doing something. In a split second decision, Bolin rushed to the boys’ bathroom instead of heading to his next class. Ignoring Mako’s nagging voice in the back of his head, he made the sacrifice to take a tardy because this was definitely worth it.

After briefly performing a stall check, Bolin stood in front of the mirror and breathed in deep. Most times when he looked in the mirror, he liked what he saw. There was nothing really wrong with him. But other times, it didn’t seem to come across to everyone else. He reached up and tugged at the small curl sitting on his forehead and frowned, then touched his hands to his hair. The gel did well enough, but he could see how his hair could still be kind of messy, especially in the back…and the curl could look pretty stupid but there was no way for him to keep it from its usual spot.

This mirror also wasn’t broken, so it was like he could really see all of himself without just picking out the sections he liked. He saw how the height of it above the sink brought out how short he was. It was clearly made and positioned with the idea that boys his age should be a certain height and he just didn’t cut it. And he was also kind of wide, he practically took up the whole width of the mirror with his bulky body and huge shoulders, he thought as he lifted his arms up a little, then allowed them to drop back down. Then his eyes darted to his pudgy nose and those bushy brows and that _stupid little curl_!

Bolin growled to himself as he bent slightly at his waist and ruffled his hair in his hands in frustration. His shoulders rose and fell with his heavy breathing. Once he straightened up again, he looked at his reflection staring back at him. Strands of hair stuck out everywhere, a nest on his head. He regarded the disheveled boy gazing back at him. There was a look in his green eyes that was…sad. The boy reached up and flicked the curl at his forehead with his fingers, eliciting a smirk from Bolin.

His mother always did that, he remembered. It was a foggy memory, almost like a dream, but he remembered. She thought it was cute. Maybe Korra would, too. And his dad…it would’ve been nice to have gotten some advice from him. Bolin closed his eyes and for a moment, everything was dark and quiet. No thoughts, no white noise. He breathed in, the echo of his inhalation in the empty bathroom leaving him with a feeling that he was completely alone.

But he had Mako. He let out the breath he’d been holding in and nodded to himself. He had his bro, and he always would. Everything would be okay. That was enough for him to calm down and open his eyes to let the light in again. Bolin smiled at the reflection in the mirror, turned on the water in the sink and threaded some through his hair to tame it again. He then lifted his arms up and flexed, puffing out his chest in turn. The large swells of his biceps strained against the fabric of his shirt and the front was taut against his chest. On his face sat the widest of grins as he regarded himself, green eyes staring back with a faint light in them.

* * *

 

The bell ringing incited less of a panic in him and more of a flash of relief. Welp, he missed the whole class. Nothing he could do about that. Plus, it’d be fine, he’d make it up later. But now, he had more pressing matters to attend to. A boy suddenly flung the bathroom door open and gave a casual glance toward Bolin, who balked before awkwardly raising a hand up for a weird wave. The boy scoffed in response, slipping into one of the stalls as Bolin scurried out in turn.

“So, I uh—Korra, hey! I wanted to know, well, I was wondering if you _perchance_ would do the honor of me—I mean, do me the honor… No…” Bolin muttered to himself, barely maneuvering through the crowd of kids pouring out of the school in droves to get back home. Part of him wanted to get to the front of the building with just as much urgency, yet another part wanted to make sure he didn’t look like a total idiot once he got there.

He shook his head and continued his private pep talk, eyes glued to the floor and brows furrowed with determination. “C’mon, Bolin! You can do this. This isn’t some sockhop you’re inviting her to, you could probably even go cool with it. Maybe like, ‘what’s up, Korra? I was gonna go out to hang at the mall, do you wanna—argh!” He threw his head back and groaned.

“But if I say it that way she might not even know how serious it is!” No one around him batted an eye as he spoke directly to the ceiling, still keeping up his pace. He laced his fingers together and cradled the back of his head as he walked. "I guess the only thing I can hope for is to not come off like a total, complete—"

A solid yet curvy and angled wall that seemed to crash directly into his chest cut his monologue short. He grunted upon impact, not realizing until after he stumbled backward and recovered, that he’d walked right into her. Korra spun around, apparently unfazed, her wolftails lifting on the fall breeze. The afternoon sun glowed against her dark skin, on her cheek. The way the one corner of her lips pulled up in this adorable grin…she was beautiful. And he was awestruck.

“Bolin! Walk much?” she chuckled, her hands gripping at the straps of her backpack.

Bolin nervously laughed in what was more like a gasp and scratched the back of his head. A girl passing by inadvertently bumped him while he stood at the top of the school entrance steps. "Korra! Hi! I was—sorry—" he sputtered after the girl who just continued walking. “I was uh, just doing a thing, there… I mean, I didn’t see you!”

Korra watched Bolin fumble with a bemused, expectant smirk. “Yeah…it’s cool. So… second day down and I’m still alive! I think I might actually like it here. Maybe stick around for a while.”

She winked and Bolin was sure he felt a blush come on that he tried to ignore, his eyes darting to hers briefly as he powered through to say, “Yeah, I’d…be pretty glad for you to do that.”

“If anything I’d do it for these easy ass classes here. I never knew the curriculum was this far behind, compared to back home, basically the middle of an icy brick is more advanced than the big city. Who’da thunk it!” Korra boasted. “Anyway, you won’t hear any complaints from me. The less schoolwork I have to bring home, the more time I have to learn all the boring Air Nomad history Tenzin will definitely be teaching me… Oh man, maybe this isn’t as great as I thought…”

Watching her all hunched over and frowning, or even while she went on those long spiels, Bolin just felt more and more like he could stand there all day, just listening to her. There was this calm that settled over him, this bubble that formed around them, cutting them off from everyone else and putting them in their own world. He barely took notice of the other kids anymore, the stragglers filtering through the doorway to their right. All that mattered was that he was with her and they were just there, hanging out. It was almost crazy how easy that felt.

Then his mouth opened, and he started. “Hey, Korra?”

She perked up and looked at him expectantly. "I, uh—"

Suddenly, he was all wobbly in the knees again. What happened to all that confidence and how assured he was 2 seconds ago?? His heart was practically pounding in his chest as she kept staring at him, her right eyebrow rising up.

“Would you, um…would you…” Bolin murmured in a barely audible tone, his eyes dreadfully locked on hers. She titled her head forward in anticipation and slight confusion. His brows knit together for a bit until he just closed his eyes and shook his head. He then looked at her again with a simple smile, leaning back and gesturing toward her with an extended hand. “Do you want to meet up after school tomorrow? There are way more places than train yards here. Some places you wouldn’t believe! And plenty of empty buildings...”

“And more spots to hit up and tag…” Korra was beaming. It was all he really needed right then. So he couldn’t work up to it, no biggie. Maybe one day he’d get that date. But for now, he was fine with getting the chance to even hang out with someone as awesome as her. “Let’s do it! I can probably blow off some history lessons for that.”

* * *

 

On the way back home, the route took on this special significance. Suddenly, the sky was bluer than the usual soot tinged gray, the beggars lying down on the sidewalk didn’t grab his attention more than the street kids playing in the waterfall that sprung from a loosened bolt on a fire hydrant, water droplets spraying through the air. As he entered the apartment building and trotted up the dilapidated stairwell the scents there weren’t as strong as what he was used to, he even playfully hopped over the trash littering the hallway before popping the key in the door and entering his humble home with a smile.

The sunlight cast a wonderful glow into the nearly empty studio apartment only furnished by two beds each in their respective corners, mounds of clothes at the foot of each of them, a minifridge next to a small sink and a broken stove. Occasional holes in the floor brought on by rot were illuminated by the sunset creeping through the black, steel bars at the windows with their dusty glass panels. Bolin rushed to his mattress and plopped down, careful to avoid the bad spring that stuck out of the surface of his bed as he laid back and sighed in content. After a moment, he reached into his pants pocket to pull out a crumpled up sheet of homework assignments that he held aloft, staring blankly at its contents.

He reread the assignment over and over yet none of it stuck in his brain, it was too fixated on the events of the day. How could he concentrate and buckle down on his studies when he was feeling so up? Bolin huffed and looked around the empty apartment, taking in the strong absence of his brother. It wasn’t the first time. He glanced back at the paper in his hand and heard Mako’s nagging voice in his ear again, but he wasn’t physically, actually there. So, he thought as he crumpled the paper back up into a ball and tossed it to the floor near his bundle of clothes—Mako wouldn’t mind if he didn’t worry about it for now. Instead, Bolin gazed past the cracked ceiling above him and daydreamed about Korra and all the fun activities that were in store tomorrow.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bolin is very precious and this chapter was inspired by Sunflower - Post Malone. I think the tune of the song is perfect for him. 
> 
> Thanks for reading :)

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments appreciated.


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